Patience and Persistence

2021. What a year so far. I don’t know about you, but I have made a lot of discoveries this past year. Discoveries about myself... about others... about science. A lot of these discoveries were made during a period of self isolation. I experienced more time than usual in self isolation becauseof our current circumstances regarding COVID-19.

I think having excess time to oneself, allows new or deep thoughts to develop. This abundance of time for deep thinking has made me even more grateful for so many things. Grateful for simple things like sunshine, space, and access to nature. For important things like my family, my grandparents, and modern medicine. For significant things like art, live music, socialization, and so much more.

With a global pandemic still roaming, many of us have had to face severe changes in lifestyle or daily routine. We are constantly learning and adapting daily. There are two principles that I have learned to appreciate more during these unpredictable times. Those are patience and persistence.

I have come to realize as I practice these concepts on a daily basis, I am more equipped when I have to face the next curveball thrown my way. These two ideas, patience and persistence, have been extremely valuable in a variety of situations. Especially, in a world where things are constantly changing and are often unpredictable.

Since getting this job as a cruise ship dancer, I have been consciously exercising patience for nearly a year and a half. It took many months just to get a contract offer to work on board. Once received, it has taken many more months for it to come to full fruition. My departure date to travel to the ship was delayed several times. I, along with other crew members, have had flights canceled and quarantine periods extended time and time again.

As the cruise industry crawls its way back from this pandemic, cruise ship staff all over the world are doing whatever it takes to get back to life on board. The restart and recovery has been slow following COVID-19, but the processes and regulations in place for crew and guest safety are intricate.

I have a lot of faith in the newly placed health regulations and preparations for a healthy return to service, but before I can appreciate those measures, I have to first make it on board. I, along with many others, have experienced delay after delay after delay in getting to the ship. The cruise ship I am contracted to work on sails out of Hong Kong. This particular area is difficult to travel to, especially following a global pandemic.

At first, I was scheduled to fly directly to HK, but then a new rule was announced by the HK Government declaring: any inbound passengers who have stayed in Group A specified places (including the US) in the past 21 days may not enter the country at this time. This announcement happened one day before my originally scheduled flight. Do note, I had flights scheduled before COVID-19 as well but those were canceled long ago. Once the return to service was initiated, my new flight then got canceled due to Hong Kong’s closed borders.

Royal Caribbean adjusted our employee contracts and came up with a resolution to send us to a location not on the Group A specified places the Hong Kong Government listed, where we could be accommodated for at least 21 days then proceed to HK. That chosen meeting point was Cyprus.

A perfect place to gather any crew from the Specified Group A places and then send them on to Hong Kong. Cyprus was ideal because it's a small island with restricted tourist entry, meaning only vaccinated individuals or those carrying proof of negative PCR testing can enter. Cyprus is also much closer to China than the U.S.A. Royal Caribbean also has a ship there as well as resources like a port and agents.

They flew us to Cyprus, but when our 21 days ended and it was time to leave, we got word of yet another regulation from HK that extended our stay in Cyprus. The day we were scheduled to fly out of Cyprus, we were sent back to our rooms to resume quarantine until further notice. We had to be patient while we awaited new instructions, new travel documents, and new departure dates yet again.

Patience, a key concept during these difficult times. When the date for us to finally depart Cyprus arrived (nearly 2 weeks after our originally scheduled date) we flew to our layover city in Doha, Qatar. We had 9 hours to spend in the Doha Airport until our scheduled connection flight to Hong Kong departed... BUT the saga continues. That connection flight was canceled due to a Typhoon in Hong Kong.

We spent many hours in Doha, attempted sleeping on the cold tile floor, and patiently awaited further instruction. The time difference between our location and RCCL’s headquarters in the US made communication difficult. We had to practice patience yet again when waiting for the company to respond to our situation.

Another challenge was required documents upon entry into HK. One of which is a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure. The crew had this ready, but the flight cancelation caused our PCR tests to no longer be within the 48 hour time frame. Royal Caribbean was able to work directly with the Hong Kong Government and they allowed our tests to still be considered valid upon entry.. At this point I was more than determined to get to Hong Kong.

When we finally boarded the flight to HK, I was almost in tears. I felt so much gratitude. But the journey had only just begun. Once in HK we spent hours in the airport proceeding through several entry regulations required by the government. Persistence, “continuing one’s course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.” I was not giving up, having made it this far, having dedicated so much time towards getting to this destination, I was anxious to make my way to the ship somehow.

After a PCR test upon arrival (where we waited 6 hours for our results), several document checks, customs, baggage claim, and 10+ hours total in the Hong Kong Airport, we made it to our designated hotel facility. This is where I, and the rest of the crew, had to spend 2 weeks in mandatory quarantine. The quarantine is a requirement for any individuals traveling to Hong Kong despite vaccination status or PCR test results.

As we neared the end of our 2 week mandatory quarantine, arrangements were being made for us to travel from the hotel to the ship. Sadly, just days before we finished our mandatory quarantine, the Hong Kong Government ceased all movement to and from the ship for the next 21 days. This delayed our arrival on board yet again. As of now, the crew has been relocated to a new hotel. We are patiently waiting for more details.

We anticipate getting on board as soon as the 21 days are up. Unless we face a new challenge prior to embarkation. What an experience this has been so far. A lesson in both patience and persistence. When the circumstances are out of my control, I do my best to continue with an optimistic outlook. I have faith we all will get to where we need to go. My heart is calm, soul lit, and my thoughts are positive. I can’t wait to eventually get on board.